The 40th anniversary of Farm Aid on Sep. 20 at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis had a stacked lineup. It featured Kenny Chesney, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Wynonna Judd, Steve Earle, Margo Price, and Dave Matthews with Tim Reynolds.
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But perhaps the most memorable moment came when Willie Nelson, the co-founder of Farm Aid, took the stage with his son, Lukas, for a special duet.
Willie Nelson and Lukas Recorded This Classic in 2012
The father-and-son duo delivered a moving performance of "Just Breathe." The original ballad appeared on Pearl Jam's underrated 2009 album 'Backspacer.' Willie had previously covered the song with Lukas and his band Promise of the Real for his 2012 album 'Heroes.'
Their performance was the highlight of the event, showcasing the talents of the 92-year-old legend and his son. The track's lyrics about family and mortality made the duet especially poignant.
Eddie Vedder Shared His Opinion on Willie and Lukas' Cover
While promoting 'Heroes' on his Sirius XM channel, Willie's Roadhouse, Willie received a call from Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, the songwriter for "Just Breathe."
Per Loudwire, Vedder told Willie that hearing Nelson perform one of his songs was like "smoking a great joint without all the coughing or the smoke." He went on to say that Willie's cover was his "best contribution to music so far."
Farm Aid Was A Success
Farm Aid was founded by Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, and Neil Young in 1985 with the purpose of raising money for farmers in the United States.
The inaugural concert featured Bob Dylan, Loretta Lynn, and Billy Joel. It took place in Champaign, Illinois, on September 22, 1985, and raised over $9 million for family farms. The nonprofit has since raised over $80 million.
This year's event sold over 36,000 tickets, according to Billboard, and was broadcast live on CNN for five hours.
At a press conference held on the morning of the event, Young spoke out about the continued relevance of Farm Aid.
"There's one thing that really strikes me about this day," he said. "And what I would like to say is, we need money so we can give it to the farmers and support the farmers. And we need to get it from these big corporations and billionaires that have taken all the farmers' land or a great portion of it."
You can watch a video capturing Willie and Lukas' cover of "Just Breathe" below.
Photo by Nicola Gell/WireImage
